Read a full match report of the Championship game between Middlesbrough and
Derby County at Riverside on Saturday Oct 22, 2011.

The Derby County team bus pulled back into Pride Park shortly before nine o’clock, but there was no need for the club’s latest record-breaker to rush straight home. With both the weekend and half-term upon us, it was not a school night for Mason Bennett, who could no doubt linger a little longer to reflect on his landmark day, before being told it was time to hit the sack.

Bennett had been denied a debut in midweek due to the late return from Reading and the need to be in class the next morning, but on this occasion there was no such impediment to his small part in football history – becoming as he did, at 15 years and 99 days, the Rams’ youngest ever player.

Yet however well Bennett did on his league bow, and it was a 78-minute display of rich promise from the England Under-16 international, it was a stunning display of goalkeeping from Middlesbrough’s Jason Steele that proved ultimately decisive.

Rhys Williams, who stuck out a foot to divert Justin Hoyte’s shot home from eight yards on the stroke of half-time, and Marvin Emnes, who expertly headed in an inviting cross from the influential Hoyte for his ninth goal of the season seven minutes after the restart, sealed victory to see the hosts rise to second.

A fifth game without a win for Derby was offset somewhat by the promise of things to come from Bennett. Nigel Clough, the Rams’ manager, enthused: “He’s not bad for 15, is he? Sometimes, as a one-off you just throw in something a bit different, and I thought it was a very mature debut from him.

“He’s a young player we’re very excited about. He didn’t actually travel with us last night because he was a bit under the weather yesterday, so he came up this morning and found out he was playing just before two o’clock.

“He won’t be involved every week, that’s a bit too much to expect, but the odd time when we’re short as we are at the moment, we’ll get him involved.

“The more experience he gets the better he’ll be for it. He took it all in his stride, he’s that type of lad. He’ll be back in training with the under-18s on Monday because it’s half-term so he’s off school.”

At 21 years old, Steele is a veritable veteran next to Bennett, and he came to the fore with a series of fine saves as the hosts rather unwisely sat back late on.

“It was nice to see Jason reminded everyone what a good goalkeeper,” Tony Mowbray, the Middlesbrough manager, insisted. “Hopefully it will get a few of his critics off his back.”

The Middlesbrough goalkeeper deserved his share of luck – Derby hit the woodwork four times in all, and one of those efforts came from Bennett, who came close to further embellishing a day to remember in the second half.

It ensured the record held since 1928 by Bristol Rovers’ Ronnie Dix as the league’s youngest-ever scorer still stands. “Mason could have made even more of a name for himself if he’d scored,” Clough added. “Still, he’s got 15 years to score those.”